KIGALI, Rwanda – The President of the Senate of the Republic of Rwanda, H.E. Jean Damascene Ntawukuriryayo has emphasized the need to overcome fragmentation that exists at various levels of climate change management.

He explained that in Africa there are many initiatives that are engaged in climate change matters, including the East African Community through the Lake Victoria Basin Commission, Inter Governmental Authority on Development, and the United Nations Environmental Programme. “There is need for synergistic interventions that optimize and ensure beneficial use of the available resources,” H.E. Jean Damascene Ntawukuriryayo added.

Speaking as Guest of Honor during the 3rd Nile Basin Development Forum in Kigali, Rwanda on 26th October, 2011 organized under the theme ‘Climate Change and its implications for Sustainable Development and Cooperation in the Nile Basin – Threats and Opportunities to Nile Basin Cooperation’ he said, “It is essential that policies, strategies, institutional and legal frameworks be developed, coordinated and harmonized at the global and regional level”.

Hon. Charity Kaluki Ngilu, Kenya’s Minister for Water and Irrigation and Chairperson of the Nile Council of Ministers in charge of Water Affairs, told participants that “the Nile Basin region is faced with a declining level of Lake Victoria. For us to guarantee water security for our citizens, I would encourage the Nile Basin Member States that are yet to sign the River Nile Cooperative Framework Agreement to do so.” She added that “Water security for Sudan and Egypt is not a matter for debate, but a right. To secure this right it is important the River Nile Cooperative Framework Agreement is ratified by all the Nile Basin States.”

Earlier, Dr. Wael Khairy, Executive Director of the Nile Basin Initiative, noted that achieving sustainable socio-economic development and management of the Nile Basin presents a great challenge, which calls for joint regional action as well as explicit political-will and financial commitment from all Nile Riparian States and development partners. He said the “Nile Basin can be resilient to climate change if, and only if, our Riparian States work together as one body”

The 3rd Nile Basin Development Forum was closed today 28th October, 2011 by the Host, Hon. Ambassador Stanislus Kamanzi, Minister of Natural Resources of the Republic of Rwanda.

He noted that participants have ably deliberated on the challenges, existing opportunities and the ever growing threats of climate change to development agendas, not only in NBI but in the whole of Africa.

“We received captivating key note speeches, deliberated on core issues and what can be done in Governance, Finance, Food and Energy Security in enabling us adapt to climate change”, he added.

Participants from the Nile Basin countries namely, Burundi, DR Congo Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, The Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda issued a ‘Kigali Declaration’ in which they called for cooperation among their respective countries in preserving and managing the Nile Basin environment by giving due attention to its water and land resources, wetlands and biodiversity and by addressing the impacts of climate change.

They also highlighted the need to support the empowerment of the Nile Basin Initiative to take more rigorous and effective steps towards implementing pertinent climate change adaptation measures, thereby contributing to the efficient water management and optimal use of the resources as well as poverty eradication leading to promotion of economic integration in the Nile Basin.

Participants further called for strengthening participatory and integrated approaches in planning and decision making, including the meaningful participation of the civil society and non-governmental organizations in our efforts on responding to climate change at national and regional levels.

During the Forum, NBI launched some of its key products relevant to the subject of climate change. These include the second release of the Nile-Decision Support System (Nile-DSS), which is a world class analytical tool for NBI Member States and NBI as an institution that supports rational decisions and promotes sustainable outcomes. It provides a trans-boundary framework for sharing knowledge, understanding river system behavior, as well as designing and evaluating alternative development scenarios, investment projects, and management strategies.

The first ever River Nile State of Basin report, which is currently under preparation, will be introduced. Among other things, this report provides access to accurate, credible and timely information to help in raising awareness and increasing understanding and appreciation about the natural environment, the people, communities and economic development of the basin.

The Nile Basin Sustainability Framework, a suite of policies, strategies and guidelines through which the NBI will ensure that its activities are sustainable. It will also be used ensure that the development and management of the Nile Basin water resources undertaken by NBI Member States with facilitation of the NBI are in accordance with the principles of integrated water resources.

The Nile Information System (Nile-IS), a web-based knowledge management tool that allows for easy storage, searching, organizing, retrieval, analyzing as well as disseminating and exchanging information collected from NBI programs and projects.

A number of FAO-Nile Information Products prepared between 1996 and 2008. These products are ‘policy neutral’ instruments for examining a linked future between the land and water in the Nile Basin– and exploring the issues related to the people that depend on the continued access to land and cycle of nutrients and water. They are tools for understanding the impacts of rising demand for food and water against a variable hydrological regime.

More than 200 participants from within and outside the Nile Basin countries, including Ministers in charge of Water Affairs and Members of Parliament in the Nile Basin countries, environmentalists, water managers, researchers, River Basin Organizations, International and Regional organizations, civil society, private sector, media, diplomatic missions and development partners attended the 3rd NBDF organized by the Nile Basin Initiative in collaboration with the Ministry of Natural Resources of Rwanda.

The 4th Nile Basin Development Forum will take place in Nairobi Kenya in 2013

Lilongwe, Malawi- The Federation of National Associations of Women in Business in Eastern and Southern Africa (FEMCOM) in collaboration with the Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA) held a consultative forum on food secutity and women in business March 28-30, 2011.

Participating countries included; Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe and the host Malawi.

FEMCOM is one of the umbrella associations involved in the implementation of the European Union supported COMESA Regional Agro Inputs Programme (COMRAP). The Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA) has the mandate to coordinate COMRAP implementation and is working closely with FEMCOM in this regard to ensure appropriate gender mainstreaming in the COMRAP and other ACTESA led initiatives.

COMRAP has the overall objective of contributing to improving rural food security and livelihoods in the COMESA region through training and capacity building of national and regional input providers and harmonization of related regional legal frameworks.

The consultative forum should provide a conducive environment for COMESA member States to deliberate on appropriate programmes that will integrate women into trade and development through COMRAP activities within the region. But above all, this activity is a step towards contributing to the overall objective of ACTESA and COMESA in the agriculture sector which is to improve agriculture production and enhance food security within the region.

FEMCOM is a COMESA institution, established in July 1993 under Article 155 of the COMESA Treaty and the Secretariat is hosted in Malawi

The main objective of FEMCOM is to promote programmes that integrate women into trade and development activities in the region, in particular, in the fields of agriculture, industry, trade, services, fishing, mining, energy, transport, communications and natural resources. FEMCOM was founded on the idea that regional economic integration cannot be seen to have succeeded if it did not involve the full and equal participation of women in business.

FEMCOM is re-positioning itself to become a key player in regional trade activities at different levels especially in the agriculture sector is dominated by women

The consultative forum was expected to have attracted 60 participants from COMESA member States including representatives of the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP), Regional Food Security and Risk Management Programme (REFORM), Women in Agri-business in Sub Saharan Africa Alliance (WASAA), USAID, Market Linkages Initiative (a USAID funded project) and Agricultural Commodity Exchange for Africa (ACE).

Malawi has been chosen as a venue for the consultative forum based on its strong performance in boosting security through the wise leadership of President, Prof. Bingu Wa Mutharika of transforming the country from a food importing to a food exporting nation.

The major expected outcome of undertaking this consultative forum was to concretize strategies for enhancing partnerships, defining areas of collaboration and harmonizing programs for strengthening women networks among farmers, agro-dealers, agents and producers at regional and national levels.